Eliot Cholerton-Hill 11SZT
English ZKH - Classwork
29/04/2016
An Inspector Calls Mock Exam
1. How does JB Priestley create mood and atmosphere for an audience here?
JB Priestley creates mood and atmosphere through a variety of literary techniques, used throughout the extract. The stage directions on the first line state that Birling speaks to Gerald 'confidentially' which suggests that he lowers his tone, and is about to say something shocking. For the audience, having Mr Birling lower his voice, and speak to Gerald in a confidential manner creates a tense mood and atmosphere, as the audience feel that they are being privy to something that should be contempt from knowing. The fact that Mr Birling speaks to Gerald in a confidential manner shows the audience that he is trying to be dissumulative from the women in the household, which in turn creates a tense mood and atmosphere. A few lines down, this tense mood and atmoshphere is reinforced when Mr Birling blatently belittles Gerald and undermines his social standing. He informs Gerald that his mother, "Lady Croft", feels that Gerald has, "done better for himself socially." We know that Gerald feels embarassed by this, as the stage directions state that Gerald feels "RATHER EMBARRASSED". The reaction from the audience at this point in the play would be one of sympathy for Gerald and contempt for Mr Birling, which will be further reinforced later on in Mr Birlings speech, when he states that he is recieving "just a knighthood." The fact that Mr Birling talks about a knighthood in such a blasé manner suggest that he feels that a knighthood is something very common, or even below his current social standings. Priestley uses a litote here in Mr Birlings speech to reveal more about Mr Birlings character. The fact that he shows off about the fact that he will be recieving "just a knighthood" to force Gerald into being